The MS-21 will be pitted against the latest modifications of the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 narrowbody families. Source: Grigory Sisoev / RIA Novosti

Russian aircraft manufacturer Irkut
Corporation is building the first three prototypes of what it is calling the
Airliner of the 21st Century – the MS-21. This next-generation passenger
jetliner is key to the Russian government's plan to develop civil aviation.

The first prototype is expected to be
rolled out in 2015, followed by certification one year later. The airliner is
targeted at both the domestic and foreign markets.

Efficient and customizable

To
survive in the current aviation market and compete against the best-selling
aircraft types in its segment, the new Russian airliner will have to meet
stringent criteria in terms of performance and fuel efficiency.

The MS-21 family

• MS-21-200, seating for 150 passengers

• MS-21-300, seating for 181 passengers

• MS-21-400, seating for 212 passengers

Irkut says the MS-21 will have a lower empty
weight than its competitors, as well as better aerodynamics and more efficient
engines.

Potential customers will be involved in the development process from
the very first days.

The MS-21 will have a reconfigurable cabin
layout, allowing operators to select the optimal seat and aisle widths. The
overhead bins and cargo holds will be adjustable for capacity.

Small numbers, big plans

The MS-21 will be pitted against the latest
modifications of the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 narrowbody families.

Even though
Irkut lags behind in terms of annual production output (it projects its
capacity at 40 airframes, compared to approximately 500 each for Airbus and
Boeing), the positive market experience of another Russian jetliner project,
the short-range Sukhoi Superjet 100, which is already in service with airlines
around the world, is encouraging.

"The Superjet 100 has been operated
intensively in Laos and Indonesia since 2013," says Andrey Fomin,
editor-in-chief of Russia's premier aviation magazine Take-Off.

"Last
fall, airliners of this type started flying in Mexico. They are performing
quite well there, so it is possible that new customers will crop up in the near
future, including from the Western Hemisphere. The marketing tactics used for
the Superjet are now being proposed for the MS-21."

There are currently around 170 orders for
the MS-21, all of them from Russian carriers.

The airliner is planned as a
replacement for the ageing Soviet-made Tupolev Tu-134 and Tu-154 models, as
well as for the younger Tu-204 type, which has proved uncompetitive on the
global market.

"If you want to get customers interested you have to come
up with a completely new airliner," said Roman Gusarov, editor-in-chief of
the Internet portal AVIA.ru Network.

"This is what our aircraft
enterprises, including Irkut, are attempting to do. All hopes for the resurrection
of the country's civil aviation sector are pinned on the MS-21 program. If it
proves a success, then another serious rival will emerge on the mainline
passenger aircraft market."